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Why People Don’t Trust the Web — and How Brands Can Earn It

Dec. 19, 2012 | by Tina Rose

As someone who works in a virtual environment, shops online without hesitation, researches everything from shoes and vacations to medical services – and banks online without a worry in the world – I was surprised by a recent survey by Harris Interactive, which found that 98 percent of 1,900 Americans sampled distrust information on the Internet. According to the survey, the lack of trust starts with receiving too many ads, outdated information, information that is self-promotional, and unfamiliar forums.

How can brands overcome those obstacles – and become an online partner that people trust, use and promote to their friends? The answer is to look at your site as others do and create pages that are clean, easy to understand, and offer the right information. Here are some steps you can and should take now:

Edit Your Own On-site Ads

Even if you don’t actually include ads on your own sites, some designs do have a tendency to look as though they’re filled with advertising. Pages loaded with buttons and banners and embedded links could make a person less trusting. Instead, you should create clean sites with clear navigation and only include the most relevant on-page buttons, banners or links. Doing so will help cut down on the clutter, help consumers find what their looking for and help instill a sense of trust.

Keep Your Information Up to Date

When you have a site that’s home to hundreds or even thousands of pages, keeping information up to date can be challenging. But for pages with seasonal or time sensitive-information, or even product descriptions and inventories, it’s critical to provide people with accurate information. Depending on your business, and your structure, you may need to have one managing editor who plans your publication/content upkeep calendar, or put one person from each department or line of business in charge of keeping their team’s information up to date. Of course, if archiving old information is important, just make sure that it’s clearly labeled as such.

Dial Down Your Self-Promotion

Although you should put your best foot forward when you discuss your products and services, overly self-promotional sites are clearly a turnoff. Instead, concentrate on giving the facts in a flattering light, and include information about awards, as well as reviews and testimonials, but don’t use language that feels self-serving, over the top, or truly disparaging to others. (If “company x” beat out “company y” in a third-party study, it’s worthy of mentioning – but be careful not to sound boastful or gloating. Don’t disparage “company y” – just offer the facts.)

Create Pages That Are Comfortable and Familiar

Although differentiating your company – and your products and services – is important, so is giving visitors an experience that they understand. So keep your web design clean, simple and easy to navigate. You can, of course, add interesting features, but don’t create a site that’s chockablock with the latest innovations. One or two are fine, but if the site is difficult to navigate because your visitors don’t understand the format or don’t have access to the right technology for an optimal experience, you will pay dearly.

Of course, if you’re asking people to enter personal information, bank, or shop online you’ll also need to provide them with a clear terms of use, a comprehensive privacy policy and a number of security features that are designed to help keep their personal information private. And, you’ll need to be upfront about it. After all, honest disclosure helps instill trust – and with 98 percent of Americans admitting to not trusting the online experience, trust can make all the difference.

the real jim dakis dont trust anyone on line there are people looking for info called fishing!a catfish is some one who says there some body and there some body else. somtimes its fun playing with them! best to cut line!they can scan some bodys web page and not be the person you think your talking to ask them to skype with you! you dont hear from them bingo!to bad people have nothing better to do!words of wisdom dont put to much on line plus down loaded virus is a pain in the buttFeb 6, 2013 08:45 am

Please note: the opinions expressed in this post represent the views of the individual, not necessarily those of iCrossing.